Fancy a big breakfast? Think again: scientists have shown that the fat content will go straight to your hips in no time at all.

Researchers from Oxford University have found that instead of fat being put on over a gradual amount of time it can, in fact, be just a matter of hours after eating an average meal before the added weight goes around your waist. And for those who crave a big breakfast in the morning, it can be even worse, as the process is more pronounced early on in the day.

Obesity expert Professor Fredrik Karpe and his team made the discovery by asking volunteers to eat a bunch of different fatty foods that contain carbon isotopes which are traceable. The fat was then tracked from the gut, and to their surprise, they found that the first fat from a meal entered the bloodstream about an hour after it was eaten.

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After three to four hours, most of the fat had been incorporated into the adipose tissue, mostly in the short-term fat stores which are around our waists. Fat around the waist is generally only used for short-term storage and can be burned off when needed, but when people continue to eat in excess, the same fat is then moved to more long-term stores around the hips, thighs and behind. Maybe it's time to think twice before digging into those pancakes. [Metro]